Bowel Incontinence In Women

Bowel movement is the term given to the process by which waste products in the form of feces is passed out of the body. Usually, at the end of the process of digestion, there are usually waste products.

These wastes are usually stored in the rectum until the time when it is full. When full, a signal is sent to the muscles that control the opening of the rectum. This is usually the signal inform you that it time to go for a long call.

However, there are cases whereby a person loses control over this process. This is what is called bowel incontinence. When you are suffering from bowel incontinence, you are not able to hold or control your bowels. The result is usually stool leaking from your rectum.

There are several factors that could result in bowel incontinence. When this happens there is usually a lot of stigma because very few people understand this health condition. Here are some of the major causes of bowel incontinence and possible solutions.

Nerve damage

As mentioned earlier, there are nerves that control the functioning of the muscles that open and close the rectum. If any damage occurs to these nerves, they are unable to function in the correct manner. Here are some major causes of nerve damage.
Difficult childbirth, Diabetes, Spinal cord injury, Multiple sclerosis.

If you are having fecal incontinence due to any of those factors, the simple solution lies in having the problem treated. Once your nerves regain their normal function, you are then able to control your bowel movements again.

Constipation

As strange as it sounds constipation does lead to bowel incontinence. If you keep having constipation issues, stool tends to get impacted in your rectum. This hard stool will make it very hard for the sphincter muscles of the rectum to function well. This is because of the pain that usually follows constipation.

Once your muscles are not functioning well, you will not have any control over the movement of your bowels. The solution to this problem is to form a habit of eating a well balanced diet. If you are older, take food that has a lot of roughage and drink a lot of water. It is also wise to make sure you go to the toilet regularly.

Inflammatory bowel disease

This disease causes inflammation to the whole of the digestive tract. There are many factors that cause this disease. When you are suffering from it, you tend to have diarrhea and constipation.

These two conditions can both lead to bowel incontinence in women. To solve the problem you will need to be placed under medication for IBD. After it has been dealt with, you will have better control of your bowel movements.

Radiation and anal surgery

If you have been under treatment for any cancer related to the digestive system, it might result in fecal incontinence. Anal surgery also tends to have that side effect, where the victims are unable to control their bowels after surgery.

Radiation can sometimes cause nerve damage and that is how it leads to incontinence. The treatment for this problem would be in finding a way to revive the dead nerves.

Thinking impairment

Diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease lead to cognitive impairment. When one is unable to think well, they cannot actively control body processes. That is why most people who suffer from cognitive problems tend to leak stool. The only solution to this cause of the problem would be to try and control the effects of the Alzheimer’s.

As stated earlier, fecal incontinence can be very embarrassing. It is also a very serious medical problem. The key to treating each case usually lies in finding out the cause.

When the cause is addressed, then the problem will naturally go away. However, there are cases whereby the cause cannot be reversed. For instance, for people whose nerves have completely died or surfers of Alzheimer’s.

But that does not mean they have to live with the shame. Good hygiene is very important. There are adult diapers that help in containing the leaked stools. Regular showers and consistent use of these will help you stay clean such that nobody will realize you have bowel incontinence problems.